Observational Drawing: Illustrate with a Fresh Perspective

Observational Drawing

“Dear student, you have reached the end of the course, congrats! I’m really happy I am able to share this adventure with you. I hope you have enjoyed this course as much as I did. Of course, I also hope you feel an improvement in your drawing skills and digital art making skills. I’ve taught you everything I know and my workflow, but now it’s your turn to make your own personal final project. Let me show you an example of the stages I would love to see of your process: The Elements: I encourage you to not just see what surrounds you but to truly observe it. Pick some objects that captivate you, or maybe they just call your attention. You can take some photos of them, or you can just approach them to your space of work.

The Sketch: Start by making a sketch of your composition. It doesn't have to be really detailed, because you will take care of it later. You just have to make the map that will lead you through the path of illustration. The Illustration: Once your map is ready, start working on it! You can start inking your drawing. Remember to start by inking what’s in front of you, so you will be working from front to back. Do not forget to give textures and add shades to your artwork by stippling some elements. You can also use lines width, they can be thick or small or whatever, you think it’s going to look better in your illustration. Finish Your Illustration: Scan your illustration and start working with it on Photoshop. Fix the last details and start coloring. You can make a mood board of colors to pick your palette. Last but not least, add some textures to give the look and feel that you are looking for. Once you think it’s ready, export your image and share it with the rest of your process! Your illustration will be different from mine because your life and what you notice in it, is different from mine! This is the magic of observing, that we all see different things in different ways from different perspectives. Remember that inspiration is everywhere and can come from everything, so keep open your mind and eyes, always be prepared to be amazed! Please, do not forget to share your final project. I look forward to seeing everything you create, and I will try to get back to you in a timely manner, but I am busy with my work and have a lot of platforms to respond to people on, so please be patient! Meanwhile, I encourage you to see what your classmates have created and if possible give them some feedback. Thank you so much for taking my course. See you soon!”

Partial transcription of the video

“Final Project We're at the end of the course. I hope I introduced you to new inspiring artwork you hadn't heard of before and you feel improvement in your drawing and digital art-making skills. We learned what materials to use, how to find inspiration and how to sketch and ink drawings. We learned new drawing techniques, ways to view the world, noticing angles and the intricacies of every line around us. We also learned to turn our drawings into full-color illustrations. Remember, inspiration is everywhere and can come from everything. Your illustrations will differ from mine as your life a...”

This transcript is automatically generated, so it may contain mistakes.

Course summary for: Observational Drawing: Illustrate with a Fresh Perspective

• Level: Beginner
• 97% positive reviews (32)
• 945 students
• 4 units
• 17 lessons (3h 35m)
• 1 download

• Category

  Illustration

• Software

  Adobe Photoshop

• Areas

  Digital Illustration, Drawing, Traditional illustration